


Miraculously Frightened

by BuzzCat



Series: Queen's Greatest Hits [7]
Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Anxious Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley is Good With Kids (Good Omens), M/M, Teamwork, Worried Aziraphale (Good Omens)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:54:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27325363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuzzCat/pseuds/BuzzCat
Summary: Aziraphale is sent to perform a blessing, but is confronted with unexpected difficulties. Crowley helps by holding a baby, and vows to commit mischief--next time, at least.(set during Crowley's and Aziraphale's lengthy history with humans on earth, takes place in the early days of civilizations beginning to spring up)
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Queen's Greatest Hits [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1399054
Comments: 1
Kudos: 33





	Miraculously Frightened

Crowley leaned against the wall, the laws of physics bending ever so slightly to keep him upright. It was a beautiful summer night, the wine was good, and the music was loud enough to irritate the neighbors. Crowley was a demon and he was enjoying himself.

Which naturally meant that when a voice over his shoulder said, “Crowley,” Crowley was certain his evening was about to end much less pleasant than it began.

“Aziraphale.” He carefully wiped the satisfied smile from his face before turning, plastering on something a little more cartoonish, “What can I do for you?”

“What are you doing here?” Aziraphale asked, nodding over his shoulder at the party. It was a part of some kind; Crowley hadn’t ventured quite close enough to really see what the party was.

He gestured at the surrounding buildings, “Irritating the neighbors with loud music. What are you doing here?”

“There was a baby born. I’m here for a blessing. Poor dear’s born half-deaf, I’m here to restore its hearing.”

“Mhm,” Crowley mused, “official capacity then?”

“Everything I do on Earth is in an official capacity,” Aziraphale said looking askance, “it’s the purpose of being here.”

“I just dropped by for a laugh, but that’s me,” Crowley said, turning back to the party. The warm summer wind blew through, rustling the long curls hanging to Crowley’s shoulders.

Aziraphale looked at him nervously, “You’re not going to, to stop me? Blessing the child?” He nodded toward the center of celebration.

Crowley looked to the people. He could. Hell’d like it if he gave the angel a proper fight, really took a stance against some poor kid never hearing properly. But this particular part of the wall had been in the sun all day, all warm and perfect and Crowley found himself very opposed to anything that required leaving the wall he’d been precariously leaned on for the last hour.

He crinkled his nose, “Nah. Bless away.”

“Oh, really? Oh thank you. I had a frightful time getting here and—” Aziraphale cut himself off, seeming to realize he was babbling to the Enemy. Crowley ignored the sudden cut-off, hopping in where Aziraphale left off,

“Oh yeah, the paths are absolute murder. Did you ride a donkey in, or…?”

“Yes.”

“Lucky. Stupid animals don’t trust me, keep trying to throw me off. Walked the whole way in.”

“Really? That’s a very long journey just for…bothering the neighbors,” Aziraphale commented.

Crowley didn’t really have a good reason for coming here. Hell had been on his case the last few years, with things they needed done and Crowley was growing less and less enamored with the idea of ‘orders’. In truth, he’d left the last temptation and just started walking. Kept walking until he wanted to stop, start walking again when it was warm enough to not freeze. Ended up here, just in time for the party.

“Well, these neighbors are particularly predisposed to evil. Had to make sure they got good and proper bothered.”

“Right.” The two watched the celebration in silence, able to hear the music and laughter even if they couldn’t make out the words. Aziraphale sighed,

“Well, I suppose I should get on with the blessing. Good seeing you, Craw—Crowley.” He walked toward the celebration. Crowley watched him, debating. The wall really was quite warm, and it fit just perfectly in the spot between his shoulder blades he could never quite scratch, right where his wings would have been if he kept them on this plane.

On the other hand, following Aziraphale would provide adequate stage for a little mischief.

The decision really wasn’t so hard when he put it that way.

Crowley stepped away from the wall, following a few steps behind Aziraphale. They walked through the buildings, carefully stepping around the animal droppings and mindful of the excited children running past. In the center of it all was a proud mother, her family around her and a very small baby in her arms, surprisingly asleep through the whole celebration. Even as Aziraphale approached, people shouted greetings and wrapped him in side-hugs. Someone tried it with Crowley, but found themselves tripping over a large rock before they could make contact.

Aziraphale stepped forward, nodding to the mother and her family. “I am a traveler, from a long way away. But I was wondering if I may pay my respects on this momentous occasion.”

The mother smiled tiredly, “Of course. We’re glad you came to celebrate.” She handed the baby off to her husband, he handed him to Aziraphale with a grin.

Crowley caught the brief flicker of panic before Aziraphale took the baby from the new father, holding it like it was liable to burst into flame. It scrunched up its face and started to make whimpering sounds that were bound to preempt a screaming cry.

Crowley stepped forward, scoffing, “Honestly angel, it won’t bite you.” He took the baby from Aziraphale, holding it securely to his chest. Immediately the whimpering quieted and the woman who looked to be the grandmother stopped glaring at Aziraphale.

Aziraphale blushed, “I just wanted to be careful.”

“You can be careful without being a twat about it.”

“Crowley! There are children present!” Aziraphale looked meaningfully at the sleeping baby Crowley held. Crowley somehow managed to shrug without jostling the infant, which must have been a small miracle of its own.

“He’ll hear it soon enough. Did you have a blessing to perform or not?”

“Yes, I do.” Aziraphale looked apprehensively at the child and Crowley rolled his eyes,

“Here, I’ll hold him. Just come up and bless him and for Satan’s sake, don’t try to hold him again.”

“Yes. Very good.” Aziraphale stepped forward and laid a gentle hand on the baby’s head. Crowley felt the miracle, changing the smallest thing in the smallest of humans, but he knew the instant it was done. The baby’s eyes flew open and he began screaming. The new father stepped forward and took the baby back from Crowley, glaring,

“What did you do?”

The screaming baby was quickly handed back to its mother and the family gave Aziraphale a glare, Crowley already having turned his back on the crowd and making his way out. Aziraphale held up his hands in a show of surrender,

“I’m going. Have a good evening.”

He stepped quickly to catch up to Crowley, who had very casually slowed to a stroll until Aziraphale caught up. Aziraphale said in a huff,

“Not sure what happened with the poor thing. Really, I just fixed his hearing.”

“Exactly. The world went from very quiet to very loud. You gave him his first real scare in the world.”

“Oh no,” Aziraphale said and began to do the world’s first demonstration of ‘dither’. “I hope I didn’t frighten him too badly.”

Crowley snorted, “You turn the volume up on his whole world and suddenly everything is an awful lot more to take in. I think that counts as absolutely terrifying.”

“Is that why you were here?” Aziraphale turned to him, “Because you knew I’d be doing a blessing and came to, to sabotage it?”

“Sabotage it? Angel, all I did was stop a baby crying. You’re the one who did the scaring there.”

“Oh dear,” Aziraphale said. Crowley frowned at him,

“Don’t see why it bothers you so much. You gave away that sword of yours right at the beginning and She didn’t smite you down.”

“Yes, well. I received a warning last decade, from Upstairs. About being less cavalier with my miracles.” Aziraphale sniffed, like it wasn’t worth talking about. “They said I wasn’t being careful enough.”

It was on the tip of his tongue. The things he could say to strengthen that doubt, the easy little seeds that would grow as a strangling vine around the angel’s stone-cold faith in heaven, all because a baby did what babies do. Just the right word and Aziraphale would spend the next five, ten years doubting his every move. It’d be easy.

“That miracle is one they told you to do. Was gonna scare the kid no matter what.” Crowley said, gesticulating as if to wave away the absolution he offered.

Aziraphale looked at him, the worry melting away and a reassured smile spread across his face. “Oh. Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

Suddenly Crowley was back on that wall, reassuring the same angel that he had done right by Heaven. He most certainly could not make a habit of this. Next time he’d say something scathing and mean and really make Aziraphale question everything.

Next time.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: If this is inspired by a Queen song, I have no idea which one, because this fic has been sitting on my computer for over a year and I've entirely forgotten what was going through my head when I wrote it. Hope you liked it!


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